Wirebound box with integral ends



Aug. 12, 1969 J. M CREA 3,460,737

. WIREBOUND BOX WITH INTEGRAL ENDS Filed Sept. 18, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR- Joseph, Ma Crea BY Lia 1m my ATZ'OR s Aug. 12, 1969 J. M CREA WIREBOUND BOX WITH INTEGRAL ENDS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 18, 1967 a N a PM W a M i w 1 Q r m m w c Z 5 M. m 7 k :w L M m m m H mm. bl ulln hln M m .m 1 7 k. E v 2 w m cma 0 w m J \HIJI/ .IIIJIV 1 United States Patent 3,460,737 WIREBOUND BOX WITH INTEGRAL ENDS Joseph McCrea, Rockaway, N.J., assignor to stapling Machines Co., Rockaway, NJ. Filed Sept. 18, 1967, Ser. No. 668,466 Int. Cl. B65d 13/00, 9/12 US. Cl. 229-23 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to a wirebound box formed from a unitary blank incorporating integral box ends of foldable material.

The conventional wirebound containers in use heretofore have been formed from blanks having four sections or sides, each composed of face material or slats and reinforcing cleats secured thereto adjacent the lateral edges of the blank, with the several sections foldably secured together by binding wires extending longitudinally of the blank and secured to the sections by staples driven astride the binding wires, through the face material and into the cleats. The two ends of each binding wire are provided with loop fasteners which project from the ends of the blank, and when the blank is folded around to set up the container, these loops come into opposition with each other at the closing corner of the container and one of them, being somewhat narrower than the other, is inserted through the latter and bent down to secure the container closed.

The container ends are similarly formed of side material or slats with reinforcing battens or liners stapled thereto and are secured to the container blank by loop fasteners formed at the ends of binding wires stapled to the outside cleats of the front and rear sections of the container blank and bent around the outside binding wires.

The container ends are made separately from the rest of the container, but involve the same type of manufacturing operations. That is, the several parts of the container end are stapled to each other and to the binding wires in a stapling machine from which they issue in a continuous succession joined together by the binding wires. They must be fed through a separate loop fastener machine wherein the binding wires are severed in the intervals between adjacent end members and the resulting wire ends are bent to form loop fasteners. The making of the container ends thus involves considerable utilization of the box making machinery and substantial cost.

To save space and permit handling of the container blanks in multiple, they are usually shipped and stored. knocked down or flat, with the two container ends foldably secured at one end to opposite sides of the front and rear side sections of the blank and lying flat against the inner faces of these sections. The job of thus partially attaching the container ends to the blanks involves appreciable amounts of labor and further costs.

To set up the container for packing, the free loops on the partially attached container ends must be bent at "ice right angles to the outer faces of the ends, the container sections must be folded around and the loops inserted into the notches in the cleats and bent around the outside binding wires to secure the container in its folded condition. Because this operation takes appreciable time, it is common parctice in packing plants to set up the containers in advance, This requires that space be provided for stacking the assembled containers, and results in substantial wastage of valuable plant space.

It is therefore among the objects of the present invention to provide a wirebound container having end members so constructed that they may be attached to the con tainer blanks at the time they are stapled in a conventional wirebound stapling machine, thus eliminating any necessity for utilization of either a stapling machine or a loop fastener machine in making the end members, as well as the separate operation of attaching them to the container blanks. Another object is the provision of such a container blank which is so constructed that the conmay be set up from the blank readily and without the necessity of inserting and/or securing any loop fasteners. A further object is that of providing such a container blank wherein the portions which form the container ends, although fully secured to the blank, may be folded down against the blank for stacking.

Still another object is that of providing integral ends which may be quickly and easily folded into position to close the ends of the container, but which are positively held in position, thereby securely retaining the container in assembled configuration, even with the top raised, and which lend strength and rigidity to the closed container during shipment and handling.

Other and further objects will be in part apparent and in part specifically disclosed hereinafter.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of an illustrative unitary wirebound container blank embodying features of the invention.

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of a wirebound container blank of the type shown in FIGURE 1 folded into container form, with its end members folded into position to close the ends of the container, but with the top eft open for filling of the container.

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of the container with the top closed, and with an optional scored flap in the top opened and folded into a display panel.

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of the upper front edge of the container taken on the line 4-4 of FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 5 is a plan view of an alternative form of unitary wirebound container blank also embodying features of the invention.

FIGURE 6 is a side elevational view of the container blank of FIGURE 5.

FIGURE 7 is a top plan view of the container blank of FIGURES 5 and 6 folded into container form with the top open, and with the upper edge of the front side broken away to show the inner construction of the front side.

FIGURE 8 is a vertical sectional view through the front side of the container of FIGURE 7, but with the top closed.

FIGURE 9 is a transverse sectional view through the front side of the container, taken on line 99 of FIG- URE 8.

The box blank shown in FIGURE 1 consists of four side sections, including a top section 19, rear section 12, bottom section 14, and front section 16, formed of a single sheet of foldable face material, such as corrugated fibre board 18, extending the full length of the blank with reinforcing cleats 20 and 22 secured thereto adjacent its longitudinal edges.

The four side sections are foldably secured together not only by the face material 18 but also by binding wires 24;- (see FIGURE 2) which extend longitudinally of the box blank near its edges and are secured thereto by staples 26 driven astride the binding wires, through the face material 18 and into the cleats 20 and 22.

The cleats 20 and 22 extend the full matwise length (i.e., the dimension lengthwise of the blank or mat) of the side sections to which they are respectively attached, and their ends are mitered so that when the box blank is fully assembled, as shown in FIGURE 3, the adjacent ends of the cleats on adjoining box sides abut to form a rigid, rectangular framework of cleats at each end of the box.

The two ends of each of the binding wires 24 are provided with integral loop fasteners 24a and 24b which are secured by prongs (not shown) formed at the ends of the wires and driven through the face material 18 and into the cleats 20 or 22. As shown in FIGURE 3, when the box is folded into assembled relation, the two loops on each binding wire 24 come into opposition at the closing corner of the box and the loops 24a on the front section 16, being narrower than the loops 24b on the top section 10, may be inserted through the latter, as shown in FIGURE 3, and bent down against the front of the box to secure the box closed.

The ends of the box are closed by end members 30 formed, for example, of unitary pieces of the same type of foldable sheet material used as face material 18 on the side sections. As best shown in FIGURE 1, the end members 30 are hingedly mounted at one end to pposite sides of the rear section 12 of the box blank, the edge portions of the end members being sandwiched between the cleats 22 and the face material 18 thereof and thus being secured by the staples 26.

The end members normally lie flat against the inner surface of the face material 18 of the side section, but are scored adjacent the inner faces of the cleats 22 and also along lines 30a spaced therefrom a distance equal to the length of the cleats 20 on the top and bottom sections and 14 to form foldable' locking flaps 30b at the free ends of the end members 30.

The face material 18 is similarly scored along the transverse lines 18a which separate the box sections, to facilitate folding. The face material 18 extends for a short distance beyond the edge of the top section 10 and front section 16 at the ends of the box blank to provide short projecting flaps 18b and 180, the flaps 18b extending the full width of the box blank and the flap 180 being notched at either end so that at each end it falls short of the edge of the box blank by a distance approximately equal to the thickness of a cleat plus the thickness of the sheet material from which the end members are formed. Along the score line 18a which divides the flaps 18b and 18c from the face material of the adjacent side sections of the blank, there are provided two spaced rectangular slots 18d which are positioned to receive the tabs 380 on the locking flaps 30b of the end members 30 when the box is assembled.

As shown in FIGURE 2, the box is assembled by folding the blank around into rectangular form and bending the end members 30 outwardly along the score lines at the inner faces of the cleats 22 so that the inner portion 30d of the end members lie against the inner faces of the cleats on all of the box sides. The end members are also bent along the score line-s 30a so that the locking flaps 3% lie against the inner face of the face material 18 on the front section 16 of the box. Then the flap 18c at the upper edge of the front section 16 is folded inwardly and downwardly along the score line 18a from the position shown in broken lines in FIGURE 2 to the position where it lies against the inner face of the locking flaps 3%, as shown in FIGURE 4, in which position it is held by frictional engagement of its ends with the inner faces of the portions 30d of the end 4: members 30. As the flap 18c is thus folded, the tabs 300 on the locking flaps 30b project through the slots 18d at the upper edge of the front section 16, thus firmly locking the end members against withdrawal, The boX is thus held in assembled relation, even with the top open.

After the box is filled, it is closed, as shown in FIG- URE 3, by lowering the lid, causing the tabs 300 to project through the slots 18d in the face material 18 of the top section 10. The loop fasteners 24a and 24b are then interengaged, as previously described, to secure the box closed. The flaps 18b on the top of the box extends around the corner of the box and is held down against the front face of the box by the overlying loop fasteners 24a and 2412, thus completely sealing the closing corner of the box.

Optionally, the face material of the top section 10 of the box may be perforated along three sides, as indicated at 18e, to permit its separation to form a generally rectangular display panel, and scored at the remaining side and along the center of the panel, as indicated at 18] and 18g, respectively, to permit folding of the panel to the position shown in FIGURE 3, in which it is retained by engagement of the edges of the panel in notches 18h in the face material at either side. This opens the top of the container to permit access to the contents while furnishing a conspicuous surface for advertising display, as, for example, when the box is used for marketing produce in a grocery store.

The box blank shown in FIGURES 5 through 9 is generally similar except that the flap on the front section extends beyond the front section for a distance equal to the matwise length of the front section. Thus when the flap 18c is folded inwardly and downwardly against the inner faces of the locking flap 3012 on the end members 30, as shown in FIGURES 7, 8 and 9, its free end substantially abuts the upper surface of the face material 18 on the bottom section 14 of the box, and is provided with locking tabs 18 which project through slots 18k cut in the face material 18 along the score line 18a which divides the bottom section 14 from the front section 16.

The locking flaps 30b on the end members 30 are provided with tabs 300 on their lower edges (rather than their upper edges, as in the embodiment of FIGURES 1-4) and these tabs 300 are received in the same slots 18k.

This provides an extremely strong construction, in which the flap 180 is held in position by mechanical interference rather than friction.

It will therefore be appreciated that the present invention provides an inexpensive but practical box blank which may be readily assembled to form a box which is sturdy and serviceable. However it should be emphasized that the particular embodiments of the invention shown and described are intended as merely illustrative of the principles of the invention and that various modifications may be made in such embodiments without departing from said principles. As merely one example, the location of the mating locking tabs and slots may be readily changed as desired, or the tabs and slots may be omitted altogether.

I claim:

1. A wirebound box comprising a unitary sheet of foldable face material folded around to form the four sides of said box, reinforcing cleats at the inner face of said face material at each end of each of said box sides, the ends of each of said cleats abutting the adjacent ends of the cleats on the adjoining sides of said box to form a rigid rectangular framework of cleats at each end of said box when said box is closed, binding wires encircling said box at each and thereof, said binding wires overlying said cleats and being secured to said box sides by staples driven astride said binding wires, through said face material and into said cleats, the two end portions of each of said binding wires being formed into loop fasteners which are interengaged to secure said box closed, said fasteners being releasable to permit opening of the top of said box, end

members formed of unitary sheets of foldable face material secured at one edge to the opposite ends of the rear side of said box, and extending across the ends of said box adjacent the inner faces of said cleats, the free edge portions of said end members being folded to form locking flaps lying along the inner face of the face material on the front side of said box, and a retaining flap extend ing integrally from said face material at the upper edge of said front side and being folded downwardly to overlie said locking flaps and secure said box in assembled form when said loop fasteners are disengaged for opening of said top.

2. A box as claimed in claim 1 in which said retaining flap is held in position against the inner face of said locking flaps by frictional engagement of the edges of said retaining flap with the inner faces of said end members.

3. A box as claimed in claim 1 in which said retaining flap is held in position against the inner face of said locking flaps by tabs projecting integrally from the edge of said flap and engaged in slots cut in said face material.

4. A box as claimed in claim 1 in which said locking flaps are held in position between the front face of said box and said retaining flap by tabs projecting integrally from the edges of said flaps and engaged in slots cut in said face material.

5. A box as claimed in claim 1 in which said locking flaps are held in position between the front face of said box and said retaining flap by tabs projecting integrally from the lower edges of said locking flaps into slots in said face material adjacent the lower front corner of said box and said retaining flap is held in position against the inner face of said locking flaps by tabs projecting integrally from the edge of said retaining flap into said slots.

6. A box as claimed in claim 1 in which a closing flap projects integrally from the free edge of said face material on said top to overlie the closing corner of said box and overlap the front side of said box when said top is closed, with said loop fasteners overlying said closing flap to hold said closing flap down aaginst the front face of said box.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 941,256 11/1909 Jenkins. 1,736,200 11/ 1929 Kieckhefer. 2,002,618 5/1935 Sutter 206-45.28 2,039,859 5/ 1936 Watkins. 2,128,342 8/1938 Zalkind 229-34 2,693,895 11/ 1954 Elmendorf. 2,709,533 5/1955 Odierno. 3,151,801 10/1964 Vesak 229-34 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,215,019 11/1959 France.

DAVIS T. MOORHEAD, Primary Examiner US. Cl. XR. 217- -12 

